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Cozy Slow Cooker Spiced Apple Cider – Best Recipe

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This Cozy Slow Cooker Spiced Apple Cider is warm, aromatic, and ridiculously easy to make. It fills your home with the scent of autumn and gives you something delicious to wrap your hands around on a chilly day.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 4–5 medium apples (mixed varieties, such as Honeycrisp, Fuji, Gala, and 1 Granny Smith)
  • 2 medium oranges (1 sliced into rounds, 1 juiced)
  • 8 cups (1.9 liters) apple cider or apple juice (preferably unfiltered)
  • 4–5 cinnamon sticks
  • 1 tablespoon whole cloves
  • 2–3 whole star anise pods (optional)
  • 1-inch piece fresh ginger, sliced
  • 2–4 tablespoons maple syrup or brown sugar (to taste)
  • 1 teaspoon whole allspice berries
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Wash the apples thoroughly. Quarter them (no need to peel) and remove the cores. Slice one orange into thin rounds. Juice the second orange and set the juice aside.
  2. Place the quartered apples, orange slices, cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, star anise, sliced ginger, and allspice berries in the slow cooker. Pour in the 8 cups of apple cider or juice. Add the reserved orange juice. Stir gently to distribute the spices.
  3. Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 4-6 hours.
  4. After 4 hours, taste the cider. Add 2 tablespoons of maple syrup or brown sugar if desired, stir, and let cook for another 30 minutes. Adjust sweetness to taste.
  5. Place a fine-mesh strainer over a large pitcher or pot. Carefully ladle the hot cider through the strainer to remove all fruit solids and spices. Press gently on the solids with the back of a spoon to extract all liquid, but do not mash them.
  6. Once strained, stir in the vanilla extract while the cider is still warm.
  7. Ladle the warm cider into mugs. Garnish with a fresh cinnamon stick or a thin apple slice if desired.

Notes

Don’t overdo the cloves; they can quickly overpower the cider. Use whole spices, not ground, to avoid a cloudy, gritty texture. Let the strained cider rest for 10-15 minutes before serving to allow any tiny particles to settle. Do not boil the cider; gentle simmering is best. For a party, keep the cider warm in the slow cooker on the ‘warm’ setting for hours, but remove the fruit and spices after 6 hours to prevent bitterness.

Nutrition

Keywords: slow cooker apple cider, spiced apple cider, homemade apple cider, fall drink, warm apple cider, easy apple cider recipe

Find it online: https://merrymorsel.com/cozy-slow-cooker-spiced-apple-cider-best-recipe/